Product Review: IKEA Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are my biggest travel hack! They will revolutionise the way you pack – I travel a lot and therefore I am constantly on the lookout for ways to make travelling less stressful and more enjoyable. I have recently used packing cubes for my trip to Australia and New Zealand and only a few weeks in to the trip the two main cubes had alright ripped or the zip had broken. I was super annoyed and couldn’t wait to find a better alternative when I returned. These little cubes are a lifesaver when you travel and will give you back time and sanity, when unpacking and repacking that backpack multiple times a week.

I also really do believe, using packing cubes and folding your clothes in your suitcase is what makes the difference between those who can travel with only carry-on luggage and those who cant. During my eight years of travelling the globe with my blog and mostly always travelling with just a carry-on suitcase or backpack, I have learnt that how you pack is hugely important.

Contents

What are Packing Cubes?

How To Use Packing Cubes

What are the Benefits of Using Packing Cubes?

Buying Packing Cubes – My Favourite IKEA Packing Cubes

Pros of using Packing Cubes

Cons of using Packing Cubes

How to Choose Packing Cubes

Travel Packing Cubes

What are Packing Cubes?

Packing cubes are small containers made of fabric, often in a rectangular shape, used for packing clothing. They zip closed and are small enough that you can fit several into a carry-on bag, suitcase, or backpack. With different sizes and shapes, it is possible to find the right packing cubes to fit perfectly into your luggage. They could be simple zip-lock bags or more durable travel packing cubes or compression bags. By using organisers, you can compartmentalise your travel gear with each bag or cube containing a different category of item. Packing cubes keep your clothing compressed and enable you stay to organised and make unpacking quick and easy. Unlike compression bags, you can use them to organise all kinds of gear, not just clothes.

For example, you could have one large cube for your clothes, a small cube for underwear, and another for your electronic accessories—chargers, cables, etc. You know exactly where each item is kept, and when you need it, you just take out the appropriate cube.

IKEA also do an IKEA suitcase, which you can use as luggage alongside the IKEA packing cubes. Packing cubes can safe space in any kind of luggage!

How To Use Packing Cubes

If you haven’t caught on by now, a packing cube is simply a fabric pouch with a zippered opening. Using one is pretty straightforward—you just unzip the opening, put your clothes inside, zip it back up, and place the cube inside your pack. It’s not rocket science.

Travel Packing Cubes

What are the Benefits of Using Packing Cubes?

It’s true that you can pack well (enough) without ever using packing cubes. I did it for years! Once I started using them, however, I discovered the numerous benefits. No more pulling every piece of clothing out of my bag to get to the one thing at the bottom! Use alongside the IKEA suitcase and you will find even more benefits for the IKEA packing cubes.

Using travel packing organisers has many advantages:

Come in a variety of sizes – many different packing cubes, come in different sizes and shapes. You can buy larger packing cubes for bigger items such as jumpers, long cubes for shoes and then smaller packing cubes for underwear and other delicate items.

Pack more efficiently – It’s easy to pack when you know what goes in each cube and how each cube fits in your luggage, so it also means you can’t overpack and are limited to how much space there is in each packing cube. And then once they’re full you simply just have to organise the cubes in your suitcase until they all fit.

Offer alternative storage solutions – I often use the travel packing organizers for other items such as my photography equipment, and it keeps all of my kit organised and in the right place.

Find things easily – Packing cubes are also great as they mean you can find things easily and don’t spend hours rummaging through your backpack or suitcase. It minimises the opportunity to loose items too, as long as I remember to put them back in the right cube. It also makes packing, repacking, and finding exactly what you need easier.

Save space – Another benefit of packing cubes is that they can be great space savers and make sure you maximise space in your limited size allowance for many airlines across Europe, where you pay a premium for weight restrictions and size of suitcase. You can squeeze a surprising amount of clothes into a cube, so you can pack more.

Serve as impromptu pillows – Fill them with your clothes and they can also act as impromptu pillows for long journeys, flights and even at hotels.

Keep clothes clean and dry – Some organisers are water resistant and all offer protection from dirt and they can also be used to protect clothes in dusty or dirty hotel drawers or storage areas.

Store travel belongings between trips – As I travel so much the travel cubes also act as great ways to store items for my next trip. I have an array of items, that need to come on every trip with me so there’s no point unpacking them and I instead store them in the packing cubes, inside the suitcase. It also means if you fold them in the cube you can keep clothes neat and minimize wrinkle.

PRO TIP: Roll your clothes before putting them inside a packing cube. You can fold your clothes, or cram them in, but we found rolling to be the best. It’s easier to organize them inside the cube, your clothes are less likely to crease, and it’s easier to fill all the space inside.

Travel Packing Cubes

Buying Packing Cubes – My Favourite IKEA Packing Cubes

On a recent trip to IKEA I realised they had also started selling their version of a packing cube in their travel and IKEA family range. (They have also started selling suitcases, I am intrigued to see how they match up to higher priced brands.) However, many of you may be asking ‘what is a packing cube?’

A packing cube is a fabric cube which is usually encased with a zip. The purpose of the cube is to aid packing when going abroad, by both saving space in your suitcase but also protecting your clothes/separating your clothes. Below I have listed my pros and cons for why I would recommend using packing cubes! You can buy them here.

Cons of using Packing Cubes

Travel Packing Cubes

How to Choose Packing Cubes

Popular packing cube brands include Kathmandu, Amazon, Eagle Creek, eBags and more. When choosing packing cubes, durability is the most important attribute as you want a strong material with high-quality zips so that you can stuff as much in as possible without them breaking. The size and other features come down to personal preference and how you want to organise your things when they are put inside your suitcase or backpack.

The range I have mentioned above is the IKEA Family UPPTÄCKA range, which includes four different types of cubes. I have had these cubes for over six years and they’re still going strong….

The IKEA, UPPTÄCKA range has two different types of packing cubes. I bought the navy blue coloured range as the other colour is pink, and I am just not a fan of pink. They come as a set of 4 for £5 if you have an IKEA family card (you can ask for one at the checkout) or for £7.50 without a family members card. They have mesh in the front so they’re breathable, and its also useful so you can see what’s in them, instead of taking everything out to find one top. One of the cubes is double sided, and they come in a variety of sizes.

There is a large, medium, small and shoe bag. SO HANDY! The IKEA packing cubes don’t have an odour proof/water proof cube like many others do but I still like the idea of being able to separate my dirty laundry away from my clean clothes. If you are after an odour cube I know that Eagle Creek do some. Overall, a really good investment, at £5 you really can’t go wrong and I will be sure to invest in a few more of these packing cubes for the family and partner for our next trip away this spring.

What do you do to keep organised when you’re travelling? Let me know in the comments below!

Here are some other options from Kathmandu and Eagle Creek. If you use packing cubes, how many do you pack?! Let me know in the comments!

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